Anderfels
Located in the far noth-west of Thedas lies the Anderfels, home of the Grey Warden headquarters. A rugged land still scarred from the battles and wars of the past, the Anderfels is a hard place that breeds hard people. "It is the most desolate place in the world, the poorest nation in the world and the most feared." ''-Brother Genitivi on the Andefels'' Geography A rough, mountainous land, the Anderfels conists mostly of steppes, largely deserted after weathering several Blights. Sharing a border with the Tevinter Imperium to the south, the Anderfels is noted for its shocking extremes. On the on hand, great expanses of land are completely devoid of life and still thick with the darkspawn Taint, to the extent that corpses will not even decay there. At the other end of the scale, the Anderfels is home to a number of wonders, such as the gigantic white statue of Andraste carved in the Merdaine, or the imposing grandeur of Weisshaupt Fortress. Most major settlements in the Anderfels are located along the Landerfluss River, which provides fertile ground around its banks. Deep enough to allow ocean going ships to travel its waters, the Landerfluss is dotted with several ports and docks, with the port at Kassel being the largest river port in all of Thedas, and the richest city in the Anderfels. Cities and Major Settlements *Hossberg, Capital City *Kassel *Laysh, headquarters of the Templar Order in the Anderfels *Weisshaupt Fortress, Headquarters of the Grey Wardens *Nordbotten *Sundarin *Tallz *Tallo Regions *The Blightlands *The Lattenfluss *The Merdaine *The Hunterhorn Mountains *The Wandering Hills *The Feral Fjords *The Weathered Pass History O ringally part of the western Tevinter Imperium, the Anderfels seperated after a rebellion against Tevinter in -696 Ancient. Reconquered by Tevinter some two hundred years later, the country was heavily hit by the First Blight. After nearly one hundred years of war with the darkspawn, the order of Grey Wardens was founded at the Anderfelan fortress of Weisshaupt, and the darkspawn were pushed back over the next hundred years or so before Dumat was finally defeated. Tevinter retained control of the Anderfels for another two hundred years before the outbreak of the Second Blight, when they abandoned the west in order to protect central Tevinter. The Andefels were nearly destroyed by the Blight, and were only saved when the Orleisan army marched north, liberating the siege at Weisshaupt. The Anderfels converted to the Chantry and became a part of the Orlesian Empire for a time. The Emperor's son, however, was not as politically able as his father, and the Anderfels broke free again shortly after his taking the throne. The Third Blight touched areas of the south-east Anderfels, but for the most part the country remained unaffected by the darkspawn. The Fourth Blight, however, was disasterous for the Anderfels, with most of the fighting being done on Anderfelean soil. With both Orlais and Tevinter refusing to send aid, the Anderfels mostly fought alone until the Grey Warden Garahel led an army of the united Free Marches to liberate the siege of Hossberg, before going to confront and kill the Archdemon Andoral in eastern Antiva. Culture and Society With darkspawn a constant menace, the people of the Anderfels live in a state of constant vigilance and fear. The firts non-dwarves to fight the darkspawn, the Anderfels has a proud warrior tradition, with nearly everybody possessing some skill at arms and owning a weapon of a sort. A grim and determined people, the Anderfeleans are the poorest people in Thedas, with little fertile land and a remote, isolated and often ignored position in Thedas. Deeply religious, they are arguably the most devout followers of the Chantry, straining relationships with their neighbouring Tevinter. Politics The Anderfels is a monarchy, with the capital city Hossberg being the centre of power. In truth, however, the current King is a politcally weak individual, with power truly being wielded by the various barons and landowners.In recent years, the people have begun to look to the Grey Wardens for leadership, a role the First Warden has stepped into with ease. Now distracted from the running of his own order, the First Warden weilds influence nearly equal to the King himself. For his part, the King holds onto power thanks to the machinations of his advisors and family, installing the most prestigious and influential appoinments upon those he can be sure are loyal. Chief among these is the current Lord of Kassel, the King's brother-in-law, who is outspoken in his views that the Grey Wardens have no right involving themselves in the court of the Anderfels. The Anderfels at Fortress of Glass Here at Fortress of Glass, we welcome characters of any class from the Anderfels, and are happy for any reasonable member plot to occur in the country. Plots in the Anderfels The Grey Wardens have always been a prescense in the Anderfels, and have recently taken advantage of that to weild more and more political power - much to the annoyance of the nobles at court. With the current King growing older every day, and with only one true born heir to the throne remaining, this political standoff could easily become something more substanital unless action is taken soon. The Grey Wardens thought all the Disciples killed by Adrian Reinhard in the aftermath of the Darkspawn Civil War, but recently there have been disturbing reports of organised bands of darkspawn in the south. The matter needs investigating, and any threat to the people needs to be elimiated. The Battle at the Gallows has had implications everywhere. Sharing a border with the mage-ruled Tevinter, the devout Anderfels stand to lose more than most if the situation is not resolved quickly, especially should it ever come to war between mage and Templar. Category:Locations Category:Anderfels